My youth pastor, Phillip, from my days in middle school has recently acted a little bit out of the “norm.”  I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s “normal” for youth pastors to do strange things in order to connect with the middle school/high school generation.  It’s not out of the normal context of a youth pastor’s day to perform odd stunts, eat things that shouldn’t be eaten, and dye their hair strange colors for the purpose of “ministry.”  That’s just not been Phillip.  He’s not been the guy who’s gone over the top to be the “cool” guy.  He’s connected with our generation, for sure.  It’s just not been because he’s done crazy things.  Until now…(see picture below)

Never would I have thought that Philip would have stooped to this level, dropped this low, and gone this far all to raise money to buy bikes for pastors in India (for more information, see his church’s website).  But, he did.  This is a different side of Philip than I ever saw, and I have to say that, though it’s a bit unorthodox, I like it.  He’s done it in the name of love of ministry, of the love of missions, of the love of people, and of the love of God.

We do a lot of things “in the name of love.”  I know I have.  Before I got married, you would have never found me eating a chicken salad sandwich at a dainty cafe.  You also would not have found me watching girly movies or tv shows like John and Kate Plus Eight or The Gilmore Girls.  You probably wouldn’t have seen me strolling through a nursery to find just the right plant to go into our flower bed.  You also wouldn’t have seen me making sure I had my shirts ironed and socks matching before I left the house.  I’ve learned to do a lot “in the name of love.”  And is it all that bad?  I think not.

I have learned that self-sacrifice is essential in loving my wife.  If I am going to begin living up to the high calling that Paul lays down of “husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church” it absolutely must involve self-sacrifice.  I know that eating chicken salad at dainty cafes and making sure my socks are picked up off of the floor (which I’m still working on, honey) are seemingly minor things.  But they’re a step in the right direction.  They’re revealing that my heart adores my wife.  It’s these small acts of love that speak volumes to my wife, and tell her that, when the huge opportunities come, I’ll love you even more (it might be a stretch, and not the primary application of the passage, but Luke 16:10, “He who can be trusted with little can also be trusted with much,” may apply here).  My attitude and behavior is an overflow of my heart (Matthew 6:21; James 4:1-3), even in the small things.

Don’t forget about the strange behavior of Phillip.  It’s reflecting a heart that loves God.  What more could you do in the name of love?

 

My wife and I got excited the other day when we heard the ice cream truck blaring its horn through our neighborhood.  It brought back great memories from our summer childhood, where we would stand in the road staring at the side of the ice cream truck trying to decide between an ice cream sandwich, a chocolate/vanilla combo served in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head, and a spider-man head with a cold, stale piece of bubble gum waiting for you at the end.  Just hearing that music made us want to run outside in reckless abandon!  Apparently, though, both of our memories from “the good ole’ days” painted the ice cream truck in a much brighter light than we currently found it.

Who ever thought that buying dairy products out of an old rusty van that had been driving around in the hot sun for hours on end was a good idea anyway?  The van, whose horn had begun to distort the sound of the music into the sound you would expect coming out of one on a creepy horror movie, had a window on the side that had been busted out, and that’s where the woman took our money and served us our ice cream.  Actually, she was out of my top 4 choices.  I didn’t even know I had 4 choices when it came to the ice cream truck, but apparently, she was out all of them.  I had to settle for a chocolate eclair…not all that bad, but quite a disappointment.  The whole experience has left me a little shaken up.  I, a sane adult, bought ice cream out of the busted window of a rusty van.  

We should all hope that, as time progresses, we find ourselves growing closer to the Lord.  Our walk with Christ should continue to become more intimate (progressive sanctification) as we seek to put off our old self, our former way of life, and put on our new self which has been created to be like God, full of holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24).  Sometimes, though, we slip back into “childish” ways, reaching for ice cream out of a rusty van.  

What should we do when we find ourselves “feeding our flesh?”  Paul exhorts us to put off the sin, and replace it with its righteous counterpart.  Put off lying and put on truth-telling (4:25), put off anger and put on active reconciliation (4:26); put off stealing and put on honest labor (4:27).  Stealing should be put off, and honest labor should be put on, following by generosity (4:28).  Unwholesome talk should be put off, and in its place should come words of encouragement (4:29).  Bitterness, anger, rage, brawling, slander, and malice should be given up, and forgiveness should be put on (4:31-32).  Paul’s teaching is simple and, at the same time, some of the hardest teaching to put into practice.  It’s so hard that, without Christ, it’s impossible.  With Christ, though, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).   

So when you find yourself in the middle of the road on a hot day staring at a rusty old van, longing for ice cream to be served to you, trying to understand the ice cream man over the clanking and banging of the muffler, and exchanging money through the broken glass, just stop!  Think to your own spiritual growth. Is there anything you need to give up for the sake of following Christ?  What needs to be put on in its place?  I know I won’t be buying ice cream from that truck anymore.